The situation will alter if Alex Hleb, who has until May 26 to hand in his notice if he intends to terminate his contract under the Webster Ruling

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By Mohamed

Arsenal Budget: Probably between £20m and £30m. Talk of £50m is probably excessive unless Stan Kroenke is welcomed on to the board in the next few weeks.

What’s Being Said: “There is plenty of demand from players who want to join us and what we need next year is two or three maybe.

“…[On Ben Arfa] If he is for sale, then we are very interested, “He is a great player and Arsenal is a potential destination for any great player” – Arsene Wenger.

How much does Wenger have to spend and how much does he want to spend it?

Those are the two questions that will define the Gunners’ summer. There have been some fanciful claims about the size of his transfer budget but the reality is likely to be sobering. Still in massive debt due to the cost of constructing their new stadium, and adamant that they will not accept foreign investment, Wenger may have as little as £25m to spend – a kitty that will be further reduced once Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor have been offered deserved pay rises.

The situation will alter if Alex Hleb, who has until May 26 to hand in his notice if he intends to terminate his contract under the Webster Ruling, but, for the moment, Wenger’s targets will be limited to the recruitment of an “experienced” and powerful centre-half, a ‘creative player’ and a replacement (or replacements) for the AC Milan-bound Mathieu Flamini.

Micah Richards, an Arsenal fan, is an attractive proposition for the defensive vacancy but his £20m price tag, as well as his relative inexperience, counts against him. The bulk of Wenger’s kitty should instead be spent on central midfielders – note the plural because, having sold Lassana Diarra in January, the Gunners were already one player short in that position even before Flamini’s exit. While Gilberto Silva wouldn’t be a loss, his departure would leave Wenger with just Denilson as back-up to Fabregas. Wenger has nominated Alex Song and Abou Diaby as candidates for the role of replacing Flamini, but that is a disconcerting scenario. In any case, with Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou both expected to leave, Song is set to start the new season as the club’s fourth centre-half.

The location of Diaby’s future is harder to fathom. He doesn’t appear to have the application or discipline to be a central midfielder but, even if Tomas Rosicky remains on the sidelines while he recuperates from surgery, he will be surplus to requirements on the left of midfield if Wenger pursues Lyons’ Hatem Ben Arfa. Carlos Vela, along with the equally-promising Fran Merida, is another left-sided option, having been recalled from his loan stint in Spain, although Wenger is intent on using the Mexican as his fourth striker while Eduardo continues his rehabilitation.

Talk of Samir Nasri Joining the Club can only be good news… but may effectively end Hleb’s playing days at Arsenal. After stating that Nasri may have well played his final game last weekend, this rumour has more truth and reality to it than we may think

A lack of experience was generally considered to be a factor in Arsenal’s end-of-season stumble. Yet with Michael Johnson, the same age as the 20-year-old Vela, apparently Wenger’s preferred alternative to Flamini and Gilberto, and 23-year-old Lukasz Fabianski promoted to the rank of second-choice keeper while 38-year-old Jens Lehmann considers retirement, the average age of the Gunners squad is set to defy time and grow younger over the summer. Nor is its cost set to spiral – Wenger’s faith in his squad is such that even if he had £50m to spend he wouldn’t. Gunners supporters demanding a big-cash outlay would be wise to welcome as much as £25m being used between now and August 31